1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to methods for imaging a biologic fluid sample, and more specifically relates to methods and apparatuses for imaging a biologic fluid sample at more than one resolution and in some instances less than the entire sample.
2. Background Information
Historically, biologic fluid samples such as whole blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, body cavity fluids, etc., have had their particulate or cellular contents evaluated by smearing a small undiluted amount of the fluid on a slide and evaluating that smear under a manually operated microscope. Reasonable results are attainable using these techniques, but they rely heavily upon the technician's experience and technique. These techniques are also labor-intensive and thus not practically feasible for commercial laboratory applications.
Automated apparatuses for analyzing biologic fluid samples are known, including some that are adapted to image a sample of biologic fluid quiescently residing within a chamber. Automated analysis devices can produce results that are as accurate as manual examination methods in a substantially reduced period of time. Nonetheless, the speed at which automated devices operate can be significantly limited by high resolution imaging. High resolution imaging produces substantial volumes of electronic data that must be processed by the apparatus. It would be desirable to provide an automated device and methodology that reduced the time required to consistently provide accurate results.